


No Greater Joy

by Pfain Ryder (Cat_Moon)



Series: Angelfire Universe [22]
Category: Quantum Leap
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-06-26 13:46:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19769449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cat_Moon/pseuds/Pfain%20Ryder
Summary: When Sam leaps into a small child, it proves the old adage, "Out of the mouth of babes..."  In a big way.





	No Greater Joy

**Author's Note:**

> 1992\. Quantum Fire #4. If you haven't read the other Angelfire stories, I expect you'll be confused.  
> More time has passed here. Not a lot though, Peter is a genius like his dad after all. Just had to get Peter old enough to do what he had to do.

_May 19, 1993:_

Another day, another leap...I tried to be blase' about my situation. After all, I was alive. I sighed, taking stock. I was sitting cross-legged in sand. Closer look fixed it as a sand box. Looking down at the way I was dressed gave me a sickly suspicious feeling about what was going on. I looked up again. I was face-to-face with a bratty looking child around six years old.

"I told you not to touch my pail, Davey!"

The next thing I knew, I was being hit in the face with a mud pie. Not the most pleasant sensation, I can tell you.

"Oh boy..." I managed, wiping dirt off my face. It was going to be a long leap.

**AL** :

After putting the coffee on to brew, I went into the bathroom to check on Peter's progress. He was brushing his teeth. "Hey Sunshine, how you doing here?"

"Oookee," he mumbled around the brush in his mouth.

"Hey, don't talk with your mouth full!" I admonished teasingly.

Peter made a face at me, and spit out the paste. "Can we get another dog today Da, huh? Muffy is lonely. Can we??"

"I told you, when you've picked out a name, then we'll go." Hopefully, if I stalled long enough... I wasn't fond of them, but apparently they were like potato chips... can't have just one. Ever since my wonderful Sam had promised him, I was stuck. "I still don't know why you need dogs, you've got Ziggy," I pointed out.

HMMP! came from the wristlink Peter wore.

As a baby-sitter, you couldn't beat Ziggy, but it had its drawbacks. I was forced to listen to him more than I preferred to.

"Down boy!" I told Ziggy. The silence I received spoke volumes. "Only kidding, Ziggy, I'd be lost without you." I relented. Not good to antagonize my nanny too much.

YOU'RE WELCOME

"Finished?" I asked Peter. He nodded. I put him on my shoulders, and we galloped into the kitchen for breakfast.

**SAM** :

"Thanks, kid," I told the brat, debating on a nice wail to show my disapproval. My clothes confirmed it, I was a very young child.

Who'd had enough. I got up, brushing sand off my pants.

"Look at my little man!" a woman exclaimed, advancing on me.

I suddenly realized I was in big trouble if she decided to pick me up. I ran around her outstretched arms.

"Davey, it's time to get cleaned up now."

"Okay, Lady...Mommy." I scooted myself into the house, quick.

XXX

One thing was becoming clear right away--it was tough being a kid. My respect for Peter grew. Once inside, my mother hustled me upstairs into the bathroom then left to check on my brother, who was in bed with a cold, I learned.

I breathed a sigh of relief when she was out of sight. This wasn't going to be an easy leap. How could a six-foot tall grown man actually convince a family he was a small boy, aura or not?

I was so engrossed in pondering my problem that I didn't hear Mommy from hell come back. A hand began to unbutton my shirt.

"Hey! I can do it..." Terror descended as I realized she was planning to give me a bath.

"You're a big boy now, aren't you?" She smiled. "Okay, honey." As she threw my shirt into the hamper, I heard the sound of the Imaging Chamber door. "Okay, get out of those pants!" she ordered.

"Sam!" Al's voice exclaimed. "With your mother?!"

He wasn't helping the situation. "I, uh, I can take a bath by myself," I stuttered, holding onto the zipper of my pants protectively.

"You're only six, Sam," Al pointed out, leering at us both. He smiled wickedly. "Sorry, baby, you gotta go through with it."

I shook my head violently. "Uh uh...no. No bath."

"What's gotten into you?" she asked in a puzzled voice. "You aren't coming down with Timmy's cold, are you?" She felt my forehead.

"Well, I do feel a little cold..." I sniffled.

She hesitated, then made her decision. "Okay, we'll skip the bath for now. I want you to run along to your room and rest until dinner."

"Thanks mom!" I enthused, running from the bathroom.

"Ah, Sam, you're a real party-pooper sometimes," Al commented, following me.

"Thank God," I sighed when I looked down the hallway. The doors had those cute little signs on them with bunnies and balloons, making it easy to find mine. I walked into the one which said David, closing the door behind me, on Al.

He walked through. "Testy, aren't we?" I glared at him. "Could be worse, at least you're toilet trained."

"I hope you know why I'm here, Al. I need to get out of this leap as soon as possible."

"You're in luck, another easy one." I groaned. "No, really. Unless you screw it up," he added pointedly.

"Sorry," I mumbled, sitting down on the bed. "What've you got for me?" He hadn't yet brought up the stunt I'd pulled in another leap, and I was anxious to avoid the confrontation.

"It's May 19, 1993. Your name is David Walsh. You live here with your parents and four-year-old brother Timothy."

"What happens?"

Al shook his head sadly. "Poor kid. Tomorrow night his parents go out to a dinner party. On the way home their car has a blowout. They lose control and go over an embankment. They both end up dead. Hmm..."

"What?"

"Oh, nothing much. There was a police investigation, some suspicion of foul play, but it was ruled out. Anyway, David and his brother were separated, went to different foster homes. It destroyed their lives. Timmy committed suicide this year. David disappeared shortly after, no data on him."

"So I have to find a way to keep them home tomorrow night."

"Hopefully it won't be too hard to do."

"Famous last words," I told him. Then, a thought occurred to me. "This year?"

"Huh?"

"You said he died this year."

"Yeah. Well, my year."

"Which is?"

"Uh, oh boy...2002," he said reluctantly.

"Time flies when you're having fun," I commented wryly. I forestalled any comments from him by continuing. "We've never had such a young visitor before. How's David handling it?"

"He's a good kid. Peter's helping him adjust. He's pretty handy around the project, a big help."

"Good," I quipped. "Maybe he can grow up fast, take over and get me home."

"Sam..." Al warned.

"I know, I know, I won't get depressed again. I'm fine. This is a weird leap, huh? We're too close to our present to get a real outcome."

"I can have Ziggy run some scenario's."

I shook my head. "As long as he thinks this is why I'm here. I'll assume everybody lives happily-ever-after."

Al studied me a minute, making me shift uncomfortably. "Okay, for now. I'll go back and see what's up on the home front. I'll bring Peter by later, that is, if I can tear him away from his new playmate, they've gotten quite fond of each other."

Suddenly the link beeped, alerting Al. He checked it, then let out a curse. "Peter Calavicci!" he yelled. "Ziggy, what'd you let him do that for?!"

"Peter Cala--what's going on?"

Al cut off abruptly, making a sound like he'd swallowed something. He stared at me. "Oh...nothing much. Just a prison break. Tina's rounding them up now. Gee, who knows what the future ramifications would be if David were to run around the Project," he commented, stalling for time.

"I think you'd better explain about his name," I said quietly.

Al sighed. "Yeah, I know. It's true, he's a Calavicci. Donna put me down on the birth certificate as legal father."

"Why?"

"To protect him. I'm here, you're not. In case anything ever...you know."

"To fuck me over too, no doubt. Can't say I didn't deserve it, though."

'Does it bother you that much, him being mine?" he asked. "I mean he's _ours_."

"No," I whispered. "He's yours. Like you said, you're there. He's a Calavicci."

"Sam..." he began warningly.

"I don't know if I'm ever coming home, Al."

'Don't talk like that!"

"It's true. I'm trapped now, worse than I ever was, because I can't give up. I have to keep on trying, forever. For Peter. They really have me where they want me. Bought and sold." I laughed mirthlessly. "I'm not even allowed to get depressed anymore. So, I'm fine Al. Go take care of Peter and I'll see you both later."

He regarded me a moment. "That is the scariest three words in the world."

"What is?"

"I'm fine, Al. Fills me with dread."

"Go," I said tiredly. "I've got to take my nap before dinner."

He paused in the doorway. "I love you. Always."

"I know."

**AL** :

Sam's increasing depression worried me. Despite his assurances that he was fine, I didn't like the way he was handling things. Every time something happened that seemed to help him, he just slipped right back down again. Yet, it was understandable. How could any man be asked to endure what he'd had to for so long, with no break? Not even now, with the knowledge of a waiting family bringing bittersweet joy.

Somehow, I had to get him home. It didn't look like anyone Upstairs was listening, so I called a major meeting of the Project staff to brainstorm. We were even making plans for that Wiccan ritual idea of Sam's, we were that desperate.

At one point, I felt a tugging on my jacket and looked down to find Peter beside me. "What is it, Sunshine?"

"Are you trying to find a way to get Daddy Sam home?" he asked.

"Yes. We're real busy now, why don't you go and play with David?"

"But I have an idea..."

"We'll discuss it tonight, at home. Okay? You have to run along."

"But..."

"Peter--" I whispered. "Not now. And when we get home I still have to talk to you about that stunt you pulled earlier." I glanced at Weitzman, who was watching us with a less than thrilled expression on his face. 'A staff meeting is no place for babies', it said. He wasn't as dangerous as he'd been back when Sam first leaped, but he could still be a pain in the butt I didn't want to deal with. I'd listen to Peter's theory tonight with as much attention as I was giving the rest, but it wouldn't be good to have Bernie seeing me take a four year old seriously. It would undermine my authority in his eyes, maybe giving him dangerous ideas.

"Later, Sunshine." I gave him a kiss and sent him on his way. Then I had one of the aides put on another pot of coffee. It was promising to be a long meeting.

**PETER** :

I wandered over to the day school, but I didn't feel like playing with the other kids. I wondered if Da was going to yell at me tonight for taking David out of the Waiting Room. I knew I wasn't supposed to...but it wasn't fair that the other kids got to play and have fun over here while he had to stay in the ugly room alone. Daddy said my job was to help David feel safe and happy, I figured playing with the other kids was a good way to do that. I guess I was wrong.

Anyway, if David couldn't have fun with the kids than I shouldn't either. I started back to the Waiting Room, thinking about my plan. It sounded good to me, but then so had bringing David to day school, and I was wrong about that. Adults had funny rules sometimes, and I still hadn't figured them out yet. I decided to talk it over with David, and ask Ziggy. Ziggy knew everything...but if Ziggy knew everything, then Daddy Sam would be home already, wouldn't he? It was one of those adult things I didn't understand yet. It made me uncertain. How could I come up with the answer when the grown ups couldn't think of it?

Daddy Al told me a true bedtime story the other night. It was about when Daddy Sam and Da traded places, and Da was in the leap. Daddy Sam came home for awhile. That's when they made me. Then Daddy went back into the Accelerator, to save Da's life. He figured out how to leap himself right into a certain person. When he leaped into Da, Da came home.

So if David leaped into Daddy Sam, where he belonged anyway, wouldn't Daddy Sam come home just like Da had?

Ziggy should know how to do that.

But no one was likely to listen to me, I was only a kid. Besides, they probably wouldn't want to let David do such a dangerous adult thing.

XXX

"So that's why you're here and my daddy Sam is in your life," I finished telling David.

"Cool," he said. "But why can't I just go and help my parents myself?"

"I think you can. All you have to do is make sure they don't go out tomorrow night. Can you do that?"

"I'll pretend I'm real sick, throwing up and stuff. I know how to do that by sticking my finger down my throat. It works every time."

"Gross."

"Mommy gets real worried when we get sick. I heard her say the bad men make people sick. She'll stay home with me and Tommy."

"Sounds good to me. Then my daddy will come home." I frowned. "That is, if we can convince Ziggy to send you back."

"Let's go try."

XXX

Sometimes a boy has to do what no one else will, if he feels what he's doing is right. Daddy Sam told me that once. Being very careful, I snuck David into the Control Room. It was good about the meeting, no one but Ziggy was around.

YOU SHOULDN'T BE HERE WITH DAVID, MASTER PETER

"Wait!" I yelled. "Don't tell Da yet...we have a secret to share with you."

WHAT IS IT? a curious voice asked.

"I know how to get Daddy Sam home," I beamed.

HOW?

"Send David into the Accelerator to leap into him."

Ziggy was silent for so long, I wondered if I was in trouble. "It's not a totally stupid idea, is it Ziggy? David knows how important it is to keep his parents home tomorrow night, he's gonna throw up on them. His mom's par--para--"

PARANOID, Ziggy supplied.

"Yeah, that's it. Can we try, huh? Please?"

THE ODDS ARE EXCELLENT IS WILL WORK, IF DOCTOR BECKETT TRULY WANTS TO COME HOME

"Oh course he does!" I told Ziggy. "He wants to be with me and Da. It'll have to be our secret, they might not let us do it otherwise."

OUR SECRET...I THINK THAT CAN BE ARRANGED.

We both whooped in triumph, drowning out the rest of Ziggy's sentence. I didn't understand, but it sounded something like he said, 'eat crow, Admiral bow wow.'

"Let us know when it's time, Ziggy."

We listened to the hum of the Project coming to life. It was exciting, I could get to like the feeling. Soon Ziggy told me to get David into the Accelerator. We shook hands. I'd miss him, it was fun having him around. Already we'd had lots of exciting adventures together.

"Maybe some day we'll meet again, and you can tell me what it's like to go in there," I pointed to the Accelerator.

"Maybe you'll go yourself sometime," David said.

"No way, Jose'. Daddy Al would see to it I didn't sit for three weeks. If this doesn't work, my ass is grass."

PETER! Ziggy admonished.

"I mean my butt is grass." I hugged David. "Now remember, tomorrow--"

"Barf city. Got it."

"Good luck David."

"Bye, Peter Sunshine."

"Call me Beck. Beck Beckavicci."

David gave me an awed look. "Did you make that up?"

"Yeah. Sounds like a cool hero's name, doesn't it?"

"I like it," David agreed. "Good luck with your adventures, Beck."

NOW, Ziggy prompted.

David ran into the Accelerator. And vanished. It was neat. I hoped maybe he was right and I'd get my own chance one day.

Then, someone walked out. It was Daddy Sam.

**SAM** :

One minute I was fighting with my mommy over an after-dinner bath, the next I was...home. Really home. _Home._ Maybe if I said it to myself enough times I could believe it was more than just a cruel dream.

Maybe if I hugged my son.

Peter stood not two feet from me. "It worked!" he yelled happily.

"Peter..." I whispered. "How..."

"Ziggy and me brought you home." He ran to me, and for the first time in my life, I touched my son. I pulled him up into my arms, cradled him to me, gave him a kiss and decided not to let go, ever.

IT WAS PETER'S IDEA, Ziggy told me.

"How?" I stared at him through my tears, brushing the hair back from his forehead.

"I told David to make sure his parents stayed home tomorrow night and sent him into the Accelerator. He leaped into you and you--"

"Leaped home," I whispered. _Out of the mouths of babes..._

I wanted to ask about David's family, afraid to in front of Peter, in case...

THE LEAP WAS A SUCCESS, Ziggy told us, and I wondered if he'd developed the talent of reading minds. DAVID'S PARENTS STAYED HOME, AND EVERYONE LIVES HAPPILY EVER AFTER.

Ziggy, what are the odds of my leap home being permanent?" I asked the question I had once before, praying the answer would be different this time, too scared to hope.

ODDS OF LEAP HOME BEING PERMANENT...he paused for effect, to drive me nuts. 99%. WELCOME HOME, DOCTOR BECKETT.

"Welcome home, daddy!" Peter wrapped his arms around my neck and kissed me on the cheek. "Yeck! I hate salt!"

I wiped ineffectually at the tears on my cheeks. "I love you, you little munchkin..." I held him up at arm's length. "Where's Daddy Al?"

"He's in a meeting. He doesn't know, it was our secret."

"Ziggy, tell Al he's needed in Main Control." I quite trying to control the tears and hugged Peter to me again, noting distantly that we were going to have to get into dry clothes when this was through. _We. Us._

"I'm home..."

XXX

I waited with Peter in my arms, holding my breath. The moment I'd craved for six years was there, and I was having trouble believing it. I needed Al's solid arms to tell me it wasn't a dream.

Soon the door whooshed open and Al walked in. He stopped abruptly, staring. As he stared, his eyes grew wider. His mouth hung open.

"What the--" he started in a hoarse voice, then fell silent.

"Aren't you gonna welcome me home?" I managed around the lump in my throat.

"Home? _Sam??_ " He took a step forward. Stopped. His reaction reminded me of the victim of a disaster, not quiet able to believe reality.

This wasn't a tragic event, it was...it was...a new beginning, finally. No time to let a mere three feet separate us when he could be in my arms again. I smiled at Al reassuringly as Peter wiped my tears for me with his little fingers. I kissed his palm.

"Oh God..." Al whispered.

"Where's my--" I never got to finished my sentence. Al's arms grabbed me, us, and held tight. The tears from us both mingled as we savored the experience I had once wondered if we'd ever know.

_There is no greater joy than comes after great sorrow._

I couldn't remember who had said that, but I knew the truth of the words as never before. I kissed Al, briefly, tenderly, eagerly looking forward to a lifetime of loving.

"God, Al...I'm home. I'm home."

Al shook his head and gave Peter a kiss, too. " _We're_ home."

**The End**

_March '92_

**Author's Note:**

> Duh. Simple answer. If Sam could leap into Al during “The Leap Back” and it bounced Al back home, weeelll.... There you go.
> 
> Yes, there was foreshadowing. In my mind, Beck Beckavicci does indeed see David again, and they have many adventures together as he takes Sam's place travelling through time and space (after they got the accelerator working correctly). They are the next generation.


End file.
